Americans Eat Most Of Their Meals Alone

Americans eat more than half of their meals and snacks alone,
according to a new study.

The loneliest meal of the day is breakfast, which is consumed
alone about 60% of the time, the research firm NPD Group found
after surveying thousands of households over the past two
years. By comparison, 55%
of lunches and 32% of dinners are consumed without
company.

In slightly more uplifting
news, the households with kids that were surveyed eat dinner
together at least five times a week.

NPD analysts attribute the
lonely nature of Americans' eating habits to the fact that 27% of
all U.S. households consist of just one person, which is the
highest level in history.

The prevalence of solo eating
could be a contributing factor to the decline of casual sit-down
restaurant chains, such as Oliver Garden and Red Lobster, which
rely on group dining.

Meanwhile, fast casual chains
such as Chipotle, which have limited seating and make it easy to
order take-out, are booming.

Two-thirds of the Chipotle's
transactions are take-out orders, up from 50% 14 years ago,
according to Chipotle Chief Financial Officer Jack
Hartung.